7a: Describe a real-life scenario detailing the root causes and outcomes of conflict.

7b: Please complete the following:

Hiring people with complementary skills and styles can lead to a more effective team. When you’re picking out the members of your team, you will need to apply what you have learned about them (from your research and the evaluations) to the selection process. This week, you learn how to balance your team so you have complementary skills and styles. Think about what you have learned this week regarding balance. Why is it important to make sure you have a balanced team? What can happen if you have too many people with the same strengths or weaknesses?

8a: Hypothesize what causes organizations to change.

• • What are the potential consequences of resistance to organizational change?
• Recall a specific instance when you experienced significant change at work.
  • What was the overall outcome?

8b: Your team isn’t just people who work under you; you must surround yourself with people who can advise you, challenge you, and keep you honest-including mentors, coaches, and advisors. All members of a team must be aligned toward common goals. The team must have shared expectations and identified priorities. Last week, you put together a fantasy team of four JGR employees to plan and run a daylong conference. Think about this team’s strengths and weaknesses. Then determine whether your team would most benefit from a coach, advisor, or mentor. What sort of person do you think would be a good advisor, mentor, or coach for this team based on the team’s needs and why? How will their expertise make the team more cohesive?

Remember to keep your focus on what role would best serve the team and you as a leader, rather than a specific person.

9a: Name a leader who has helped shape your professional career.

• Detail lessons learned and strategies acquired from this leader.

9b: Never forget that the most important member of your team is you. You must behave as a team player—in Joe’s words, “lead from ahead, not above.” To foster collaboration and success within your team, you need to lead by example and be a member of your team. Don’t ask your team members to do things you wouldn’t do yourself. This helps break down barriers between team members and leaders and creates a sense of teamwork. This week, you see examples of how other leaders apply these principles to their teams. Identify someone in your professional work life (past or current) who leads by example. Describe their specific actions and the impact that those specific actions and their leadership has on others.

10a: Watch the video from Karl McDonnell, CEO of Strategic Education, Inc., What Do You Consider to Be Your Biggest Professional Accomplishment?

• Share your biggest professional accomplishment to date and explain what prepared you for this accomplishment.

10b: As the needs and goals of your team evolve, you will need to be flexible and able to adapt to your team. You may have to fill vacant positions or realign to accomplish your goals. As you move forward, it’s important to fill the roles with the strengths you need and move people to where they perform best. Sometimes you will have to change your strategy, but not your people, so you can play to your strengths. Changing needs does not always require a change in members. It’s up to you to use each team member most effectively. This week, we learn how to lead a team to success using the talent one already has. Think about a past or present position you’ve held. Were you using all of your strengths and skills in that position? Were you allowed to take on a new role to better utilize your strengths and skills? How did this affect your performance?

11a: What career management stage are you currently in?

• • Describe your next stage and map out how you’ll get there.

11b: What are two things you learned about building an effective team that you didn’t know before?

• What’s the most surprising thing you discovered about the process of putting together a team?
• How will what you’ve learned about building teams help you create your winning team in the future, specifically?